Fence-stay



G. C. KEEDY.

(No Model.)

FENCE STAY.

No; 543.962. Patented Aug. 6,1895.

flizarzes c3163 61 UNITED STATES PATENT (jFFICE.

CHARLES o. KEEDY, or MOUNT'MORRIS, ILLINOIS.

FENCE-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,962, dated August6, 1895.

Application filed March 5, 1895. SerialNo. 540,647- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. KEEDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Morris, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Fence- Stay, of which the followingis aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in fences.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwire fences by providing a fence-stay which will be simple andinexpensive in construction, adapted to be readily applied to a fence,and capable of firmly supporting fence-wires and at the same time ofpermitting them to yield to any severe strain to avoid breakage.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated intheaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a fenceprovided with fence-stays constructed in accordance with this invention.Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the links of thestay.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figuresof the drawings.

1 designates a stay composed of a series of links 2, and having itsterminals embracing the top and bottom cables or twisted wires 3 and 4of a fence, which is provided with any number of intermediatefence-wires 5, disvposed horizontally. The upper and lower links of thestay receive the twisted Wires of the cables 3 and 4, and are secured byloops or yokes 2 which hold the stay against displacement and at thesame time permit the stay to have a swinging movement intermediate ofits ends.

Each link 2 is constructed of a single piece of wire doubled or bent onitself at opposite points to form a continuous unbroken side 6, and theother side is composed of two portions 7, overlapped or crossing eachother at the center of the link and havingtheirterminals 8 bent at rightangles and extended across the link and formed into open eyes 9. Theterminals or transverse portions 8- of the similar side portions 7 arearranged parallel and separated to provide a substantially-rectangularopening or space 10 for the passage of a horizontal fence-wire.

In common with this type of fence-stays the links are attached togetherto form a chainlike stay, as shown, and the stay is permanently butmovably or flexibly attached to the fence at the top and bottom thereofandis loosely connected with the fence-wires, and is adapted to movelongitudinally of the same. As in other fence-stays, the links are alsocapable of telescoping or sliding on each other to yield to anydepression of the fence, and as soon as the pressure on any part of thefence is removed the stay immediately resumes its normal position andcannot become bent or distorted by the strains to which a fence issubjected. As is well known, the loose connection between theintermediate fence-wires and the links permits the fence-wires to betightened from time to time and to be adjusted as desired and to bemended in case of breakage without altering the position of the stay orstraining the same.

It will be seen that the fence-stay is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength anddurability, and that it is capable of readily yielding to any movementof the fence, and of resuming its initial position as soon as thepressure on the fence is removed.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minordetails of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificingany of the advantages of this invention.

NVhat I claim is 1. Afence stay, comprising aseries of links looselyconnected together and arranged in the form of a chain, and eachconstructed of a single piece of wire and composed of a continuous side,and the similar overlapping side portions having their terminals benttrans- Versely of the link and engaged with the continuous side andforming an intervening openof the intermediate fence wires,substantially ro as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. KEEDY.

Witnesses:

D. B. KEEDY, FRANK COFFMAN.

